Production On Salamanders And Costa Rican Biodiversity To Compete In Chilean Film Festival

(MENAFN- Costa Rica News) The Costa Rican short documentary Shadow Dwellers was selected to compete in the fifth edition of the Santiago Wild 2025 Film Festival, held annually in Chile. Petras' production stood out for its poetic and rigorous look at aspects of Costa Rican biodiversity and a visual narrative accessible to audiences of all ages, the production compan announced.

Petras is a multidisciplinary Costa Rican company that merges photography, art direction, production design, audiovisual narrative, and biology. Its portfolio includes conservation projects, artistic explorations, and commercial content.

The Life of Two Salamanders

In the specific case of Shadow Dwellers, it delves into the almost invisible existence of two salamanders in the humid tropical fores . But specifically the striated web-footed salamander (Bolitoglossa striatula) and the white-faced worm salamander (Oedipina carablanca).

Through its narrative, the visual invites us to transform the scant information available about them into an opportunity to investigate, value, and protect these tiny worlds, Petras explains. The carefully constructed visual language reveals everything from the anatomy and locomotion of these amphibians to the microhabitats they inhabit.

The work especially highlights the white-faced worm salamander, an endemic gem of the Costa Rican Caribbean. It also projects a theme of high artistic, cultural, and scientific value that highlights one of the country's least-explored biological heritages.

Biodiversity Through a National Perspective

“In the heart of the humid tropical forest, only those who know where to look discover the faint glow of a salamander. They are tiny, elusive creatures that breathe through their skin and depend on microclimates with just the right amount of humidity.

“There is little scientific data on many of them, and for most people, the screen will be the only window into their world. Therefore, this documentary becomes the first seed of a series of stories that inhabit our forests. These are stories conceived alongside scientists, filmmakers, and local guardians.

“All of them capable of transforming each discovery into a visual narrative that invites Costa Rica to contemplate, on their own screen, the wonders this land holds,” said Paz Howell, co-director of Shadow Dwellers.

This production features research, filming, musical composition, and post-production by Costa Rican talent. It is a group committed to telling our natural stories with a holistic perspective.

Planning and Execution

Between 2024 and 2025, the Petras team spent six months researching, planning, filming, and editing what is now considered the pilot for a future documentary series.

In this initial stage, David Vela and Paz Howell led the direction; Gregory Jiménez and Mario Gómez led the photography. Nationally renowned herpetologist Juan Gabriel Abarca guided every decision in the field to ensure scientific accuracy and animal welfare.

Color correction was handled by Chisco Arce, music was composed by Andrés Cervilla, and narration was performed by renowned broadcaster Victoria Fuentes Pérez.

“Costa Rica has one of the highest rates of salamander endemism in the world: 62% of the species that live here do not exist anywhere else.“Unfortunately, salamanders are very little-known species and face numerous threats to their conservation. Therefore, raising awareness of their existence and their role in our

“By making them visible, we can add even more value to the forests they inhabit and highlight the importance of protecting forests and biological corridors essential for the conservation of these amphibians,” commented David Vela, co-director of Shadow Dwellers.

This project was also made possible thanks to the collaboration of conservation areas and refuges that facilitated the fieldwork, LCI Veritas University, and Botánica Films.-

>At Resonance, we aspire to live in harmony with the natural world as a reflection of our gratitude for life. Visit and subscribe at Resonance Costa Rica Youtube Channel @resonanceCR

MENAFN06072025000216011060ID1109765811